Bellegarde breaks silence on Kinder Morgan

National Chief Perry Bellegarde broke his silence on Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline Tuesday evening, asserting that the decision-making process must respect rights, title and consent as laid out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

There has been vocal Indigenous opposition to the project, which would expand an existing pipeline to the Pacific coast. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) has been leading the charge for the region, asserting in a Feb. 8 press release that Kinder Morgan “cannot proceed” without the consent of First Nations along he pipeline’s path — and many of whom oppose the project.

That sentiment was echoed in the statement from the head of the Assembly of First Nations.

“Free, prior and informed consent means First Nations have the right to say yes or no and to determine conditions for development in their territories,” Bellegarde said.

“As self-determining peoples with title and jurisdiction, First Nations must be involved from the outset of discussions and throughout the decision-making process. Together we must arrive at a process that respects rights, title, and free, prior and informed consent consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

Up until the release of the statement, the AFN had been getting slammed on social media for its silence since Kinder Morgan announced Sunday night it was halting non-essential spending on the project.

I’m astounded by the silence from the higher ups of the AFN and MNC. With this tweet Trudeau has fired a shot, and outright said UNDRIP and Sec35 will come second to his version of what “national interest”means. pic.twitter.com/xdjMJlEUvv